Hyderabad, Feb 16 (Agency) Thousands of devotees thronged Medaram tribal village in Mulugu district of Telangana as the historic four-day internationally known and the country’s largest tribal congregation, Samakka Saralamma Jathara, began on Wednesday. The installation of a bamboo stick symbolising the tribal goddess Saralamma at the altar by tribal priests heralded the beginning of the Jathara with thousands of devotees forming unending queues to offer the traditional jaggery and coconuts after worshiping tribal deities Sammakka and Saralamma.
Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao will visit Medaram Jathara on February 18 and offer the traditional jaggery and prayers to the tribal deities, according to official sources. Elaborate arrangements were made and the state government has allocated Rs.75 crore for the jathara to ensure basic amenities to the devotees. The state road transport corporation has been press more than 3,800 buses into service from various places in the state for the benefit of devotees intending to visit Medaram. Authorities also provided helicopter services from Begumpet airport in the city to fly devotees to Medaram. More than 10,000 police personnel were deployed besides CCTV surveillance to ensure orderly and peaceful jathara.